Issues and Challenges in Judaism: Lesson 4.3
Issues and Challenges in Judaism: Lesson 4.3
Unit 4: Judaism
Lesson 4.3
Issues and Challenges in Judaism
Contents
Introduction 1
Learning Objectives 2
Explore 2
Discover 5
Jewish Sects 6
Orthodox Judaism 6
Conservative Judaism 7
Reform Judaism 9
Issues in Judaism 10
Zionism 11
Antisemitism 12
Holocaust 13
Judaism in 21st Century 14
Wrap-Up 17
Bibliography 20
Unit 4: Judaism
Lesson 4.3
Introduction
Judaism is a religion that outstandingly influences the world. Though the number of
believers of this religion is just below 1% of the entire global population, Jewish traditions
and customs can be observed in many modern practices of different societies, most
especially in Europe and America. This religion plays a vital role in the contemporary life of
many of the world’s citizens.
The historical development of Judaism is one of the most drastic, if not the most, in all of
the current major religions of the world. From its beginning, the first followers of the faith
have been battered with chaos and war. The constant struggles in West Asia formed the
traditions and beliefs of the people; hence, Jews became resilient to the difficulties of the
world. In recent centuries, Judaism has had its fair share of issues and challenges that
resulted in war and international political conflicts.
4.3. Issues and Challenges in Judaism 1
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Explore
Word Connect 10 minutes
Instructions
1. Identify the mystery term on each item by referring to the descriptions or picture
clues.
2. Be reminded that the words are all related to Judaism.
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b.
__ T __ __ __ F
D __ V __ __
c. A religious leader which literally
means “my master.” __ A __ B __
d.
An essential Jewish festival that
originated during the captivity of F __ A __ T OF
ancient Jews in Egypt. __ __ S S __ __ _
e.
__ O __ __ H
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Guide Questions
1. Choose one word from the activity and explain the significance of the term to
Judaism.
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2. How important are these symbols to the Jews? Provide an example wherein Jews
from the past showed the importance of their faith.
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3. Which terms are related to other world religions? Identify one and cite the
connection of this Jewish term to these religions.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
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4.3. Issues and Challenges in Judaism 4
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Discover
Jewish Sects
Because of the political instability in West Asia, where the Promised Land is supposedly
found, many Jews emigrated to seek better living conditions. They created pockets of
communities in many nations to prevent assimilation into the nation’s culture. However,
secularism is inevitable to many of these communities, which led to the development of
unique and different Jewish practices. In particular, this led to varying interpretations of the
practice of Judaism that resulted in other sects of the religion today.
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Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism is a group within Judaism that strictly adheres to the written and oral
law of religion. Those who follow this Jewish tradition believe both of these laws were
revealed divinely by God. Changes and alterations to the laws are prohibited. In the 11th
and 12th century CE, Jewish scholars began to codify or collect the oral laws and write them
to guide the religion. The collection of these laws is called Halacha. The importance of this
written law for each sect of Judaism is the distinction among them.
Fig. 1. Orthodox Jews adhere to religious laws, even to the type of clothing they wear
The sect was formed in 1851 to emphasize that Judaism should always be following its laws
strictly. It was the answer to the changes of the reform movement that led to the secularism
of the religion. It is in Europe that the first followers of this Jewish sect appeared. Samson
Raphael Hirsch, a German intellectual, and Moses Sofer, a Hungarian rabbi, were believed
to be the intellectual forefathers of the sect. Both are influential in combating the wrong
interpretation of reformism in Europe hence, resulting in the sect’s origin.
4.3. Issues and Challenges in Judaism 6
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Figs. 2 and 3. The intellectual forefathers of Orthodox Judaism; Rabbi Samson Raphael
Hirsch (left) and Rabbi Moses Sofer (right).
One of the key principles of Orthodox Judaism is the interaction of religion in the modern
world. The sect safeguards the faith from the danger of assimilation to modern culture.
There is strict compliance to religious laws required from its members. One of the essential
elements of the sect is its dress code. Orthodox Jews are urged to follow the laws found in
Talmud and Halacha. In addition, strict observance of the sabbath is being practiced among
its followers.
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism (also called Masorti Judaism) is a Jewish sect that believes in the
authenticity of written law or the Talmud as God's message to the people. Still, it puts some
reservation in the divine origin of the oral law and the Halacha. The call for modernity is
being considered in this sect, but there is caution in accepting many cultural aspects of
modern society that are not Jewish. It is regarded as the middle ground between the
Orthodox and Reform Liberal sects of Judaism.
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Fig. 4. Conservative Judaism promotes the active participation of women
in reading and studying the Torah.
In the 1850s, German rabbi Zacharias Frankel claimed that the written law and Halacha
could be studied through modern sciences such as anthropology, sociology, and history.
According to Frankel, letters of these sacred texts are open to interpretation through the
Rabbinic tradition and the tool of science. It can, thus, provide a deeper understanding of
Judaism. The emigration of Orthodox Jews from Europe paved the way to furthering the sect
that wished to adhere to the strict religious law and respecting the new world's prevalent
culture. At present, Masorti Judaism is one of the most prominent sects of Judaism in the
United States.
Masorti Judaism, unlike the Orthodox sect, is not afraid of the changes of modern times.
Though Jewish traditions are the primary tool in interpreting the specific religious debate,
the sect is not afraid to employ modern science in its teachings, which Orthodox Jews
gravely frown upon.
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Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism is a sect of the Jewish religion that completely abandoned many traditional
practices of the faith and embraced the many changes in society. The central principles of
the sect are the importance of God, Talmud, and Israel, but change is an inevitable
phenomenon. To survive, reformists tend to value adaptability to remain relevant to
modern times.
Fig. 5. A conference of liberal Reformist Jews
In the 17th and 18th centuries, many philosophers, scientists, and other prominent
intellectual figures such as Rene Descartes, Immanuel Kant, and Thomas Hobbes, were
preoccupied with putting humanity at the center of academic discussions. This paradigm
shift has been warranted by the long years of scholastic and theological intellectualism in
Europe. The enlightenment spilled over to the different aspects of society, even in the
world's major religions. The period has been preceded by the Jewish Emancipation that
clamored for a more dynamic and unorthodox approach to religious practice. It resulted in
many Jews abandoning numerous century-old traditions and embraced the signs of time for
a change to adapt to the ongoing social revolution in Europe.
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One of the key aspects of Reform Judaism is the acceptance of inter-faith marriages that has
been prohibited in both Conservative and Orthodox Judaism. Furthermore, the relaxation of
adhering to other religious laws is encouraged, such as the observance of the sabbath,
dress code, and other essential laws on worship and rituals.
Issues in Judaism
Judaism has been challenged with many societal encounters that blessed and cursed the
religion. Similar to the experience of early Jews as narrated in the Torah, both the old and
modern Jews dealt with many experiences in persecution, prosperity, death, and life. In
recent centuries, the Jews have been a dynamic group that shaped the political and
international arena for diplomacy and conflict resolution.
Fig. 6. The Holy Mountain of Zion according to religious texts
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Zionism
Zionism is a nationalist movement that called for creating the State of Israel based on the
accounts in the Torah. Before May 14, 1948, Palestine was occupied by tribes that adhered
to the Islamic tradition. There was no political territory for the Jews, and they were
considered a stateless nation. In the 19th century, a call had been made for all Jews living
in Europe, North Africa, and the Americas to return to West Asia. There, the Palestinians
occupied the territory that claimed a historical right for the piece of land. The Jews, on the
other hand, put forward a claim that was based on the Torah.
In the 19th century, Theodore Herzl, a Hungarian activist, institutionalized the nationalist
movement of Zionism and clamored to the political leaders of the era to take into serious
consideration the creation of the Israeli state in Palestine. On July 3, 1904, he died without
seeing the fruit of his movement—the creation of the Israeli state in 1948. The campaign
encouraged the mass migration of Jews to Palestine. This, in turn, resulted in internal
conflicts with the Palestinian Arabs who reside in the area. The inequality among races and
opportunity were some of the issues of the movement.
Fig. 7. Zionist leader Theodore Herzl
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Antisemitism
In 1879, German journalist Wilhelm Marr coined the term antisemitism that described the
prevailing discrimination against the Semitic race, specifically the Jews. This term also refers
to a general hatred of Jews, which is sometimes described as Jewishphobia. Though the term
was introduced in the 19th century, Jewish discrimination was already happening since the
Middle Ages. During those times, Jews were prohibited from holding political office and
citizenship by many monarchies and states. These led to the creation of Jewish enclaves in
Europe. These were divided further between the European Jews and the non-Jews. In
addition, Jews who engaged in commerce and business in the 12th century were heavily
discriminated against. To the point of expulsion to the country unless they converted to
Christianity.
In modern Europe, anti-Semitism continued. In France, the
hatred for Jews intensified through the empowerment of
French nationalism in the 17th century. Though Napoleon
Bonaparte favored the Jews during his reign, the
emancipation of the Jews in the Napoleonic Empire did not
last long. In Russia, anti-Semitism grew as many prominent
Jews activists joined the Russian Revolution. During the
world wars, antisemitism was prevalent in Eastern Europe.
The case of Germany's antisemitism is one of the most
prominent in modern history. Similar to the many European states and monarchies,
Medieval Germany had bitter overtones with the Jews. Some who were involved in
commerce were banished from society to be biased toward the non-Jew population.
Through Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion, Jews experienced emancipation to the German
culture, and the society became tolerant of the group. After the Napoleonic empire, the Jews
in Germany experienced discrimination but once again gained emancipation through the
German Unification in the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, the tides turned against the Jews, alongside its neighboring states, after
the Germans revived its antisemitic sentiments, which led to the assimilation of many Jews
into the German society because of Jewish reforms. Many German political leaders were
4.3. Issues and Challenges in Judaism 12
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viewing this as a threat to German nationalism—that Jews were polluting the authentic
culture of the Germans. It was aggravated with the prominence of power of the National
Socialist German Workers' Party, also known as the Nazi Party, that Adolf Hitler
infamously led. The political party clamored for racial purity among the German state and
eventually to the empire, hence segregating non-German races of the population. It had
been a big blow to the cultural integration effort of many reformed Jews who turned their
back to the strict adherence of their religious laws.
Holocaust
The term Holocaust came from the Greek word holos which means “whole” and kaustos
which means “burnt.” In the Torah, the term was mentioned to signify the lamb’s sacrifice to
please God. It has a religious undertone that links it to Judaism. Still, the National Socialist
German Workers’ Party used this term to denote the political action to exterminate the
Jewish population that occupied Germany in the early 20th century. It was based on the
political ideology of racial purity. Aside from the Jews, other races were also sanctioned in
this horrific extermination of life, including the Roma (Gypsies), Blacks, Slavs, Poles, Russian,
disabled, and homosexuals.
Fig. 9. The rail track and concentration camp in Auschwitz, Poland
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Though there were various ways to exterminate those in captivity, most of the Jewish
population expired through gas chambers. The largest concentration camp was located in
Auschwitz, Poland. Between 1.1 million to 1.5 million people died in the concentration
camps, and 90 percent were Jews. Slavery camps that forced the prisoners to exhausting
and deadly labor were also prominent in those times. The program halted when the
Germans were defeated by the Allied forces in 1945.
Fig. 10. Israelis and Palestinians still have not reached a final peace agreement
4.3. Issues and Challenges in Judaism 14
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The remnants of the past can still be seen in society and are now being shouldered by
modern-day Jews. In Israel, though they gained the state in the 1950s, the conflict with
Palestine is still ongoing. Internal disputes between the Israelis and Palestinians are
common in areas that affect the expression of the population's faith. In addition, after
World War II, anti-Semitism had become a taboo in many societies, but there are still
reported incidences of anti-Semitic acts being reported, especially in Europe.
Another present-day issue of Judaism is secularism. While Orthodox and Conservative
Judaism have been very active in preserving religious laws, the new generation of Jews has
been allured by the secularist mindset. Aside from that, a growing number of younger Jews
identify themselves as agnostics or atheists. This phenomenon can be observed in Europe,
Israel, and the Americas, where Judaism is prevalent.
On the positive side, a series of inter-religious dialogues have been conducted to promote
regional peace, especially in Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine. Through the help of the
United Nations in the 1950s, the Jerusalem City government had been successful in
partitioning the old city based on the three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
4.3. Issues and Challenges in Judaism 15
Unit 4: Judaism
In Philippine Context
Beth Yaacov is the only synagogue in the Philippines. It is located in Makati City, and it
serves as a home for the Jewish community in the Philippines. The three major sects of
Judaism are allowed to use the synagogue. Aside from being a house of worship, it also
hosts important religious events of the Philippine Jewish community, such as Bat Mitzvah.
The members of the community also spearhead philanthropic activities.
Fig. Inside a typical synagogue
Though there are also existing Jewish communities outside Metro Manila, such as in Cebu,
Davao, and Subic (Zambales), Beth Yaacov has become an iconic representation of
Judaism in the Philippines.
4.3. Issues and Challenges in Judaism 16
Unit 4: Judaism
Wrap-Up
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● There are three major sects in Judaism, which are Orthodox, Conservative, and
Reform Judaism:
○ Orthodox Judaism refrains from assimilation and the influence of
secularism to penetrate the Judaic traditions.
○ Conservative Judaism accepts science as a tool to interpret the letters of
the laws or the Talmud, Halacha, and other important religious books.
○ Reform Judaism accepts change as it will help the religion to stay relevant
to the ever-changing world.
● The three sects of Judaism accept the supremacy of the Torah but differ in the
understanding of the role of oral laws and Halacha.
● Zionism is a nationalist movement that urged the Jews from all over the world to
go back to Israel.
● Antisemitism is a view that explicitly showed hatred to any Jewish customs,
traditions, or origins.
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Try This!
A. Matching Type. Match the personas in column A with the ideas in column B.
Column A Column B
4.3. Issues and Challenges in Judaism 17
Unit 4: Judaism
B. Identification. Write the correct answer on the space provided before each number.
________________ 2. It pertains to the collection of oral laws written during the 11th
and 12th century CE.
________________ 3. The empire that helped the Jews experience emancipation to
German culture.
________________ 8. A term used to denote where society did not adhere to any
religion.
________________ 9. The year when the Allied force defeated the German Empire.
Challenge Yourself
Essay. Explain the importance of the following to the three Judaism sects: oral laws, written
laws, and changes.
1. Orthodox Judaism
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4.3. Issues and Challenges in Judaism 18
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2. Conservative Judaism
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3. Reform Judaism
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1 2 3 Suggested
Criteria Score
Beginning Proficient Advanced Weight
Proficiency Proficiency
There were no facts There were some There was a variety of
Analysis
and details to facts and details to facts and details to ×3
elaborate ideas. elaborate ideas. clearly elaborate ideas.
There were some There was a minimal There was no error in
Spelling and
spelling and error in spelling and spelling and punctuation. ×1
Punctuation
punctuation errors. punctuation.
4.3. Issues and Challenges in Judaism 19
Unit 4: Judaism
Reflect on This
Answer the following question briefly.
What can be the possible solution to finally end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in West
Asia? Who has a more rightful claim to the disputed land?
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Bibliography
Burleigh, Michael. The Racial State: Germany 1933-1945. New York, NY: Cambridge University
Press, 1991.
Gupta, Shweta, and Thinley Kalsang Bhutia. “Conservative Judaism.” Britannica, 2020.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Conservative-Judaism.
Kehillot, Clear. Shamash Hadash, 2020. http://shamash.org/.
Parks, James W. Antisemitism. London, UK: Valentine, 1963.
Sharot, Stephen. “Reform and Liberal Judaism in London: 1840-1940.” Jewish Social Studies
41, no. 3/4 (1979): 211–28. https://doi.org/https://www.jstor.org/stable/4467052.
4.3. Issues and Challenges in Judaism 20
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Taylor, Alan. “World War II: The Holocaust.” The Atlantic, October 16, 2011.
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/10/world-war-ii-the-holocaust/100170/.
Tesch, Noah. “Zionism.” Britannica, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zionism.
Wistrich, Robert S. Antisemitism: The Longest Hatred. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1991.
4.3. Issues and Challenges in Judaism 21